Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Work in Progress

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Native American Boy
Work in Progress

This is something of a shift in directions, and in a way a return to my roots. No, I am not Native American, I am speaking as my roots as a painter. Portrait painting was my first love and my primary interest for many years. I was fascinated by the human face and the stories revealed in each expression. A lifetime of joy and sorrow and a million other emotions can be found in the human face, if only you will look beneath the surface. While I still do lots of commissioned portraits, my non-commissioned work has been focused a bit more on animals, flowers and seascapes. This is a return to painting a portrait for the the pure joy and adventure of it. It still needs a little work, but I hope to pull it all together in the next couple of days and list it online soon.
Years ago, while vacationing in Colorado, I watched a beautiful performace of dance and was thrilled when a young Native American boy graciously allowed me to photograph him. I tucked the photo away and had almost forgotten it, but came across it recently when trying to organize my studio. The intense expression on his face and the bright colors of his costume fascinated me and I knew it would have to become a painting. By the way, I never did finish straightening up my studio.
It was my third grade teacher and her love of all things Native American who first inspired me to look at their art and culture. I think that experience opened the door to the discovery of amazing and beautiful people from many cultures in the world.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Midnight Run

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  Sold

Beautiful black horses have fascinated and inspired me since I fell in love with Zorro as a child. Reruns of the Disney Zorro on TV I mean, although the movie version with Antonio Bandera was good,too. (I have no idea how to spell his name.) All of this probably dates me, but in my defense, I was a very young child and they were very old reruns. Anyway, the TV Zorro was my hero, but I don't know whether I was more in love with him or his horse.
I chose a dark background just to see what would happen and used backlighting for a dramatic effect. Earlier this year I had tried doing a black cat on black background and really loved the result. For me, one of the greatest joys of being an artist is the element of surprise, you never know what is around the next bend. Sometimes breaking all the rules uncovers a whole new dimension, a new direction to travel. And each new day is the beginning of another journey. I hope you are enjoying the trip.
This pastel painting is being offered on eBay this week. Click on the link to see more.

Black Horse

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Red Fox

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Just listed on Ebay, a close-up of a red fox in pastel. This is a finished painting, 12 x 12 inches, mounted on foamcore board with a 2.5 inch mat. I am fascinated by these amazing creatures that remind me of domestic cats and dogs, yet they are still wild animals, predators, actually. I love the expressive eyes and the luxurious fur coat. This painting may also serve as a study for a larger work, a full painting of the fox probably a snow scene. That is something I will be thinking about for sometime in the future.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Family Group Portrait

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Putting the final touches on a graphite portrait of a family, three loving generations. Over the years, I have been asked by many families to create portraits, and it always makes me feel honored.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Newest Work

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The newest in my series of white horses, I haven't come up with a title for this one yet. It was supposed to be up on eBay yesterday, but I have been having computer problems so it hasn't been listed yet. This is a pastel on Canson Paper, about 17 x 21. It will be mounted on foam core board and shipped with a 2.5 inch mat.
The white horse has long been a favorite subject of mine; lately I have been painting them in motion. The background colors, blue to pink to peach, suggest a sunset. I love the way the colors are reflected in the coat of the horse, love the strength and beauty of the animal. I wanted to convey both the strength of the animal and a tenderness and nobility of spirit.
Today I will be working on an oil painting of a white kitty looking out a window. At least I think that is what I will be doing. Sometimes I don't know what I will be working on until I get to my studio.